Growing Things In May

The bantam hens can't go outside anymore, but they seem happy and content in their room inside the barn:

They have not yet totally soiled the pine shavings I put down when I cleaned their room:

The fantail pigeons are paired off and making nests, but nothing yet has come of their efforts:

They have soiled their pine shavings more than the chickens have, and I have to clean my shoes each time I leave their room:


But on to cleaner topics - One of the plum trees suddenly put out buds:


And then just as suddenly, the whole tree burst into bloom:

I cut some branches and put them in a vase, which I brought to church. It was so tall that I had to set it on the floor next to the pulpit:

And my PJM Rhododendron put out buds:

And then the flowers began to open. This was the first open flower, but I hope to have pictures in future posts when the entire bush is in full bloom:

Seed tray number one, with my two new Begonias at one end. The seedlings, from top to bottom, are  Gaillardia apricot, Gaillardia red, Gaillardia sunset, and New York Asters:

Seed tray number two, top to bottom. Bachelor's Buttons, Rose Mallow, Chives, Globe Thistle. Sadly, the Rose Mallow seeds again did not germinate:

A new variety of Daffodils was the last to bloom, this one white with a pale yellow center:

Spring Is Bustin' Out All Over

I'd already planted Day Lilies and Morden Roses - and then three Variegated Weigela plants arrived. They were bare root and didn't look very impressive, so I planted them immediately and began hauling buckets of water from the barn so I could keep them watered:

 I went out to the barn one day and found a baby Swallow fluttering on the ground. I remembered that last year I'd had Cliff Swallows and their nest was nearby, so I scooped up the baby to put it back in the mud nest. Alas, the nest wasn't there anymore:

 I saw Cliff Swallows coming and going from the eaves of the milk room, but any nest must have been inside the "attic" where I could neither see it nor reach it. I left the baby on the ground near where the Swallows seemed most active, hoping they'd keep it fed. The next morning, it was still fluttering in the lawn. By evening, it was gone. It was almost ready to fly, so perhaps it survived:

 The bi-color Daffodils bloomed first, then the solid yellow ones:

 Our fine weather inspired the cattle and horses to lounge around, enjoying the sun and growing grass:

 If I remember correctly, the small leafed Rhododendron just outside my door has never before bloomed, but it finally began to flower this year. I wasn't much impressed with them, though:

 But that's because I was too early. The next day, the flowers began to open and I think I've identified it as a PJM Rhododendron:


 A surveyor was working in the large cornfield across the road so I walked over to chat, thinking the owner might have sold the field for someone's new home. No, it was simply being surveyed for the people next door to know their correct fence line:

 The automatic poultry waterer broke one day and I scrambled to find something with which to give the pigeons water until I could buy a new one. I temporarily used two trough-type chick feeders with the tops open. Of course the pigeons love to bathe and were splashing wildly in it within a few minutes, but enough water to drink remained (even if it wasn't very clean). I got them a new waterer the next morning:

 Ah, spring. It leads to thoughts of love and.....um, other things:

 I planted two plum trees when I first moved to the farm and one has borne fruit each year. The other, however, has not. But this year, it flowered early, so I am hopeful:

 The other plum tree and, in fact, all the other fruit trees, had not even a suggestion of blooms yet, but this new plum tree was going all out. I hope the fruit is early also:

Spring's A Poppin'

Our much delayed and much anticipated springtime, once begun, burst upon us like fireworks. These bi-colored Daffodils were among the first signs of real spring:

 The lawn filled with Common Blue Violets:

 The hated and pernicious Japanese Knotweed began to pop up in all the usual places:

A surprise Grape Hyacinth (or a cluster of them) emerged among the Daffodils:

 The second plum tree blossomed and there was a brief couple of days when both plums were blooming simultaneously, giving me hope that they were cross pollinated:

 Plum blossoms are pretty flowers, and a pleasure to have on the property:

 Pear and Cherry blossoms among the still emerging apple trees, with the farm house in the background:

 The cherry blossoms were not abundant, but there were enough of them to provide hope for eating cherries this summer:

 Dandelions suddenly appeared in the lawn and pasture. I know many people hate them, but I think they're gorgeous:

 The pear tree blossomed and I decided these were the nicest flowers of all - at least so far:

The old fashioned Lilac bushes budded, almost ready to burst into bloom and fill the yard with their perfume:

 Wild Shadbush flowers all along every road were almost done for the year, but I found a couple of them to photograph:

More Photos From Around The Farm

Spring finally arrived, and the pear tree was the first to blossom. But spring was short lived and lurched suddenly into summertime. Most of the flowers quickly dropped their petals to the ground. I'll have to wait and see what that portends for fruit production:

The cherry tree only produces fruit every couple of years but it produced blossoms this year. That's a hopeful sign:

And the bigger of the two new plum trees bloomed for several weeks. Not only was it beautiful, but I expect to have lots of plums this year. I also have a smaller plum tree and apricot which flowered sparsely for the first time this year. I can't tell which of those two is which, but I'll figure it out when they produce fruit this autumn:

I was inside the barn one morning when an Eastern Meadowlark landed on a nearby fence post and began singing. Not wanting to frighten it away, I stayed where I was and used my zoom lens to get a photo. I snapped many pictures, but this was the only one (just barely) good enough to keep:

The Daffodils were much delayed and modest in their blooming this year, but I noticed a new variety. These buttery yellow, double flowers put in an appearance. They may have bloomed previous springs, but this year was the first time I really noticed them:

Birds built a large nest in the cedar tree just outside my door and were pooping all over everything. It was only a matter of time before they pooped on me. The dogs were tracking through it. Worse, a baby had fallen out of the nest a couple of days earlier and I found it dead on my porch. Judging by the size of the dead baby bird, I figured the fledglings were out of the nest soon thereafter. I used a long board to push the nest out of the tree while two adult Grackles screamed at me. But I knew there were no eggs or babies in it:

Then I set out to mow the lawn, using the riding mower. When I got to the lawn on the other side of the apple trees, I saw a baby Grackle in the grass with its parents flying around overhead. I think I spotted its sibling, already flying. I switched to mowing on the other side of the house and then ate lunch. Later, when I went back, both the babies and their parents were nowhere to be seen:


The Bush Cherry bloomed copiously this year. It also is a new planting and this will be my first taste of a Bush Cherry. I hope they're good. At least they'll be easier to pick:

The apple trees began budding on a few trees:

And then began opening into flowers. Alas, our late spring and early summer weather meant a short blooming season:

One tree on the far end of the property, however, was in full bloom. This tree was probably a wild seedling but it produces lots of early apples. Oddly, its buds and flowers have very little pink in them. They're almost pure white:

While mowing the lawn, I kept seeing these tiny blue flowers in the grass. I snapped a picture and then looked them up in my field guide later in the day. They were Birds-Eye Speedwell, a member of the snapdragon family:

Spring Is Arriving Full Force!

Yep, the farm is looking like springtime has finally arrived, even though there is much more yet to come. The apple trees were not yet in bloom on this day but my one pear tree was flowering heavily. You can see the farm sign beneath its branches:

The chickens are out all day, every day now - and enjoying each moment of it:

 They spread out across the lawn, circle the barn, explore beneath the apple trees and cross the gravel road to forage in the north field with the cattle. It's a good thing I don't plan to eat them, because I'm sure they'd be tough from all their exercise:

 Oh yes, they also explore the lawnmower. I think they are snacking on grass clippings which collect on the mower deck:

 The fantail pigeons also have freedom every day although they don't use it much:

 

 Occasionally the pigeons come out for a bit of flying exercise, but they're not outdoors birds like the chickens. The pigeons appreciate the comforts of home:

It had been a long time since I'd cleaned the pigeon and chicken coops so when I finally did so, I sure hauled a lot of dry, dusty, stinky bird poop to the manure pile:

  The pear tree was the first to blossom:

 And what beautiful blossoms they were:

 The plum tree which bore fruit last year was the second to bloom. If you click on this photo to enlarge it, you can see a lot of interesting bugs who also enjoy the flowers:

 This is the first year the Bush Cherry will bloom, though the buds were just emerging when I took this photo. I've never eaten bush cherries. I suspect they're not as good as the cherry tree produces but they'll sure be easier to pick:

 The apple trees hadn't yet bloomed, but some of the trees were producing pink buds. I knew it wouldn't be long: